Downhole oil/water separators offer lower costs and greater environmental protection
Produced water management can be a significant expense for oil and gas operators. This paper summarizes a study of the technical, economic, and regulatory feasibility of a relatively new technology, downhole oil/water separators (DOWS), to reduce the volume of water pumped to the surface. The study was funded by the US Department of Energy and conducted by Argonne National Laboratory, CH2M Hill, and the Nebraska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission. DOWS are devices that separate oil and gas from produced water at the bottom of the well and reinject some of the produced water into another formation or another horizon within the same formation, while the oil and gas are pumped to the surface. Since much of the produced water is not pumped to the surface, treated, and pumped from the surface back into a deep formation, the cost of handling produced water is greatly reduced. The oil production rate has increased for more than half of the DOWS installations to date.
- Research Organization:
- Argonne National Lab., IL (US)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- US Department of Energy (US)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-31109-ENG-38
- OSTI ID:
- 750576
- Report Number(s):
- ANL/EA/CP-100396; TRN: AH200019%%89
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 6th International Petroleum Environmental Conference, Houston, TX (US), 11/16/1999--11/18/1999; Other Information: PBD: 2 Nov 1999
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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